NNC Stories

In 1926, Black History Month was originally “Negro History Week” on the second week of February. The United States continues to celebrate “Negro History Week”, but now for an entire month that has been renamed “Black History Month”. In this video, Eli Meza speaks on Black History Month, it’s importance and how it could improve.

On Thursday, February 7th, 2019. Tarana Burke the civil rights activist and creator of the “#metoo” movement, visited Sacramento and gave a speech to many people at a free event at Sac State University.

Throughout the decades, those running for President of the United States have had a variety of stances on healthcare. Their opinions have ranged from health-care for all to solely having private healthcare companies provide medical services. To some, it seems as though candidates are just going back and forth when it comes to healthcare.

Harris’ reply to whether or not those who have health insurance in which they are satisfied with are allowed to continue to stay on their plans sparked a judgmental conversation with Republicans. Some took her response and clumped it along with all Democrats, to say that they all have the same view, which in this case is to take away the healthcare some enjoy and give everyone different healthcare instead.

Harris is not the only Presidential candidate that has angered many with their stance on healthcare. In the 2016 election, many were upset with all of the candidates’ opinions on healthcare. Whether it be Hillary Clinton’s plan to build off of President Obama’s Affordable Care Act, Bernie Sanders’ hope to scratch that and create Medicare For All or Donald Trump’s idea to entirely get rid of the program in place and use private health care companies instead, voters were upset.

2019 is just beginning and the United States is moving towards a point in which LGBTQ+ people could be denied their right to healthcare legally.

According to the Truth Out, “The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced last month that it is close to finalizing a conscience protection rule that would allow people to discriminate in health-care settings under cover of law.”

This means that many LGBTQ+, and especially transgender and non-conforming patients, could be denied their right to healthcare, for no specified reason.

“Trans and gender nonconforming people already face really severe discrimination in health-care settings,” said Bridget Schaaff, If/When/How’s reproductive justice federal policy fellow at the National LGBTQ Task Force. “Rules like these are going to make this even harder.”

These are only more recent candidates’ opinions on healthcare. Each candidate has had their own idea of what healthcare should be in the United States, but each can only please so many.

Sacramento is often referred to as the “Farm To Fork Capital of California” but what is often ignored are the people who actually live in it, specifically, those who live in impoverished areas such as South Sacramento.

Based on Sacramento County’s Crime map, parts of South Sacramento see a higher rate of crime than in neighboring communities- especially in parts such as Meadowview. A median household income in Meadowview is around $25,000 with the unemployment rate being 17%. Compare that with a neighborhood close by named Greenhaven, the median household income is at around $100,000 and their unemployment rate is at only 10%.

There are many issues with Meadowview including crime, unemployment, and more. There needs to be something done as many people in the community feel there is a sense of abandonment or ignorance when it comes to having the city help the community.

“No, I don’t think the city is doing enough to help out this community. It doesn’t even feel like they’re concerned about us,” said Trenton Boyd, a resident in Meadowview. “I voted for the Mayor but I think I regret it. He said some promising things and I felt hopeful but I don’t think I should’ve voted for him.”

Many people in Meadowview feel this way but often don’t have many outlets to have their voice heard. Capital Public Radio hosted an event on January 16th at Cabrillo Park in Meadowview to learn and hear more from the residents of Meadowview about their experiences and their issues with the area.

The event had many activities for families to come by and enjoy, including speaking with the Capitol Public Radio journalists, map exercises, a photo booth, and storytelling opportunities.

This is all for a documentary CPR will be producing named “The View From Here” which will bring light to the issues that many residents feel are being unheard. The documentary is a year-long project that will include radio shows and podcasts showcasing community voices.

In the current societal climate, youth are more active in community, politics and important conversations. One of the conversations that young people are participating in is mental illness and trauma. Many youth have started to discuss this topic more often because they know that it is something that affects them personally.

According to an article by Cleveland Clinic on Generation Z and mental health, “while Generation Z might be more likely to report poor mental health, they’re also more likely than older generations to be aware of their mental health and seek out help when necessary.”

“As a young person,” said 16-year-old Eliot Olson, “I feel the system is set up against me. My feelings are undervalued and health care is impossible for young people. Therefore, we have to talk about it and we have to kind of figure it out on our own. Some days I feel just awful and it seems like most adults don’t get that.”

Many youth that are considered Generation Z see issues in the way that their mental health is viewed by adults. As stated previously, they seek help and they know that they are struggling. However, many teenagers feel as though the adults in their lives aren’t listening.

“I personally know adults who take mental health days from work,” said recently-turned-18 Dylan Freed. “It isn’t a big deal, but when any teenager does it, it’s literally seen as the end of the world.”

Youth want to feel better and find the resources they need in order to do so. One resource that can be seen to make one feel empowered is volunteering. This is usually seen as a selfless act and often as something that can help one feel whole.

According to an article on a study fromUCLA Newsroom, “California teens who volunteer and engage in civic life are healthier, aim higher in education, study finds…The survey showed that teens with high levels of civic efficacy are more likely to say they are in “very good” or ‘excellent’ health, compared to those with low civic efficacy, 76 percent to 49 percent, respectively.”

Día de Los Niños 2018 at the Colonial Heights Library

“I saw a huge shift in my child’s behavior,” said Germelle Watson, mother of 2. “She went from being shy and having so much intense anxiety in a single meeting, to running meetings and planning entire events. She used to be so deep in her depression that I never thought she would even see the surface. And although she still can get really bad, it has not been as terrifying and intense as it used to be. Volunteering really helped.”

Some youth in Generation Z agree that they do in fact, have it worse off than the generation which came before them. On the other hand, however, they also seem more knowledgeable of resources and much more willing to use those for help.

Throughout the campaign and into his new governorship, Gavin Newsom caught the attention of Californians with his comprehensive policies and new approaches to the issues plaguing the state. Newsom’s ideas on LGBTQ+ rights, education, and juvenile justice make it clear that Newsom is willing to make investments in young Californians to improve the future of the state. These proposals have caught the attention of young people across the state as they followed what has been called one of the most important midterm elections in recent years.

Teens from around Sacramento were asked what they thought about Gavin Newsom

Harlan Adams, a former intern for Kevin McCarty’s Assembly District Office recalled “(Newsom) had a really good campaign compared to John Cox … he was able to appeal to more Latinx and working-class voters, that’s why he won…” Young people were extremely engaged in the election and many paid attention to their local elections but also national elections.

While many are excited about the upcoming years, others are anxious about California’s resources being spread too thin. Michael Bennett-Wells from West Campus High School said: “Newsom’s policies will be beneficial to a majority of Californians, however, I feel that because he has so many ideas, he may not be able to fund all of them”. And while these concerns have been raised, Newsom’s budget plans so far have referenced what funds would be used where.

Young people were not only engaged with the election but are also excited and anxious for what is to come. Kora Spiak from the Young Activists program at West Campus said: “I am so glad we have pro-LGBTQ+ Governor but I am concerned if he will be able to stand up to our current presidential administration.”

While it is still too early in Gavin Newsom’s term to predict everything that will happen, his policies have given many young people a positive opinion of him. In general, the young people in California this reporter spoke with are extremely hopeful for the governorship of Gavin Newsom.

On Sunday, January 13th, members of the Oak Park community came together to paint fences, make pathways and plant fruit trees at what is called Art Garden. If you would like more information on upcoming community gatherings at Art Garden, view the following link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/124122945099230/

Plugged is an open mic/jam session that takes place at Sol Collective every 2nd Sunday. Admission is $5 and the event goes from 8pm-11pm. It is open to the public and creatives of all types, including poets, musicians,visual artists, dancers and anyone else who’d like to watch.

On Friday, January 11th, SURJ Sacramento held a free screening of Fruitvale Station at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Sacramento to remember the 10 year anniversary of the horrific murder of Oscar Grant. SURJ (Standing Up for Racial Justice), as stated by The Action Network, is “a national network organizing for racial justice through community organizing, mobilizing, and education.”

Jenae Stainer, a member of SURJ Sacramento and Allies of BLM Sacramento, says “Our goal is to raise funds for them, as they are constantly in need of funds. They are very busy. They are having barbecues 3 days a week at the district attorney’s office to protest the fact that she hasn’t pressed charges against any of the police officers who have killed black men in Sacramento and most famously, Stephon Clark. That was sort of the beginning of the barbecue protests. It’s a really creative, non-violent action that brings attention to the fact that the DA is elected by the people and she’s supposed to serve the people.” She continues, “In addition to that, they have a lot of upcoming actions like their 4th annual Reclaim MLK Day March. They have a lot of clerical costs just running a website. They have a helpline that the community calls. They have a lot of members who are putting their own income into the movement in addition to having their jobs and their children and their schooling and everything else that they’re doing, so we want to support them in any way we can.”

And in a designated donation bowl next to the refreshments, people were putting in dollar bills to show their support towards the matter. Although it was a room of mostly white faces, they were all turned forward in respect to watch the movie once it had begun.

Fruitvale Station follows the story of Oscar Grant III’s last day alive before being murdered by a white Bay Area Transit police officer at a BART station platform. Video camera footage caught from onlookers shows us that he was unarmed and forcefully put face-down before being shot in the back. He would die just a few hours later, surgery being rendered useless due to his severe injury.

When the film ended, the audience proved themselves to have taken in the importance of the movie in a loosely organized discussion.

“He’s [Ryan Coogler] shaping a better future for African American people. I feel like it’s a really important point of history for people understand because you understand police brutality better with this story,” says Sophi Marsaw-Nevarez, an audience member.

Oscar Grant’s incident wasn’t the first of its kind, and it certainly won’t be the last with police brutality still being a prominent issue in the United States.

SURJ Sacramento’s partnership with UUSS will continue to have a monthly series of free movie screenings with similar content matter available to anyone in support of BLM.